Development of an Information Network for Sustainable Agriculture

The Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) is a project of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, a competive grants funding program. SAN was established in 1991 to fulfill the mandate of Congress that results of this research and other information pertinent to sustainable agriculture be conveyed to agricultural producers, educators, extensionists and researchers in easily accessible forms and styles. A SAN steering committee is creating useful information products, such as a directory of experts, how-to publications, and a "showcase" of selected information materials. Its main goal, however, is long-range planning for the transer of technology in sustainable agriculture, by discovering gaps in the knowledge base and the literature, and by using all appropriate electronic, print and non-print means to fill these gaps.